The 45th Infantry Division, and Bill Mauldin

[I'm still out of town at conference ... but just found out last night I could use a courtesy network here to access the Internet ... so I'm posting from my motel room ... no big deal to anyone else I know but it's sort of a new cool thing to me ... a good thing ...]

I cut out of the plenary early ... believe me I wasn't missing anything really ... and felt really drawn to visit the 45th Infantry Division Museum. I spotted a sign for it yesterday when I was coming into Oklahoma City ... and have thought about it ever since then ...

And oh what a moving, moving visit this was. Hey it's online: http://www.45thdivisionmuseum.com/ What a wonderful, wonderful museum.

The man behind the desk was very kind and welcoming; and the museum simply exuded honor for veterans and a special welcome to veterans of the 45th.

For the 45th is above all the Oklahoma division. It has a much storied history and I thought my Dad was attached to it at some point ... I don't think so now, but now know why I associated the 45th with Dad: it's because the 45th was Bill Mauldin's army unit. Oh how could I forget. Dad loved Bill Mauldin. And so did I. Cartoon after cartoon from the Stars & Stripes and from the 45th Division News.

And the museum is not only full of extraordinary military memorabilia of this extraordianry division ... it has a whole room full of Bill Mauldin prints and even some Bill Mauldin originals. Including one of those wonderful Charles Schulz Peanuts comic strips alluding to Bill Mauldin. One is an original Peanuts, with Snoopy stalking about quaffing root beers with Bill Mauldin, and a placard says that Schulz alluded to Bill Mauldin every year on Veterans Day. What a tribute.

There's even an original drawing of Willie that Bill Mauldin drew for the opening of the museum.

Alas a notice said that Bill Mauldin died January 22, 2003. Oh I had forgotten. I'm sure Mom and I talked about his passing. Momma, he died ... oh ... exactly 4 years and 7 months before you died on August 22, 2007.

I just googled and found some wonderful Bill Mauldin sources. There's a good Wikipedia article and links at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Mauldin. Then there's a cool Spartacus article at
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTmauldin.htm. And a delightful Library of Congress retrospective at http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/mauldin/mauldin-atwar.html.

Oh so very moving.

Momma you would have loved this museum so much. I hope I can visit it again. It really almost cries out for a character like me to visit again. For the story told there is the story of Dad. And the story of you Momma. The story of your generation. The Greatest Generation.

Oh Momma ... oh Momma ... I love you and miss you so so so much ...

And I admire you so much

I admire you Dad and all of your generation ...

So much I don't understand

But this I do know: I am grateful beyond words as are so many for all that your generation did for all of us today ...

Charles Delacroix
Feast of St Casimir